Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Not your typical law drama. It's about a rookie attorney trying to keep his KKK grandfather off the death penalty for killing a civil rights lawyer's kids.It's an interesting take on redemption as the lawyer tries to find a glimmer of light in a dark man and the ultimate underdog story as he represents a man who is without a doubt guilty and dislikedGene Hackman's performance is steady and though Hackman himself can play a likable villain like he did in the Superman movies, the character he played is hard to like which is exactly what you want. Chris O'Donnell did well, in this starring vehicle as a young rookie lawyer, who trying to grasp at his family history and finding it difficult. It was a good political law drama, that came out in a sea of good political law dramas, and though O'Donnell was at his most dashing and popular (a year after Batman & Robin) and Hackman was also around his peak, I think this movie got lost when you have to go up against Matthew McConaughey in A time to kill and following Denzel in the pelican brief and Cruse in A few good men.Which is sad because this movie was very intelligent and acted well be all involved especially O'Donnell and Hackman who had some interesting interactions in the film. Plus, a shout out to Bo Jackson who did some acting in the movie as well. Give it a shoot.

Schock-free, little suspense and a absolutely horrible performance by Faye Dunaway. This is what this movie has going for it.A grandson fights for his racist grandfather's life. This could have been interesting but we get little to no insight about the back story which led to the event. I will reveal that it has something to do with a murder and the grandfather about to get the gas chamber. I don't think it will spoil anyones enjoyment of the film or vice versa.The problem is that Gene Hackman as the grandfather is such a underwritten character and he is not portrayed enough as the monster he is supposed to be. Yes, he is a white supremacist and his own family resented him for it, but he comes off much too sympathetic as the plot goes along. He yells and resists at first, he mocks his liberal grandson and that's about it.Chris O'Donnell as the grandson doesn't really register either. We know his motivation but we don't really feel his pain of learning where he comes from. Again, the script is severely underwritten on his part.Then the worst of all. The daughter, played by Faye Dunaway. There is a scene at the end between Hackman and Dunaway that is so false, so unintentionally hilarious that I almost shut the film off.The ending is sad but it doesn't have enough emotional power either. Because Hackman has neither been portrayed as a total monster, nor has he been portrayed as monster with a heart, we could care less if he lives or dies.

Most reviews on this site, neglect to mention how vividly the film captures the racist politics of the American South at this time. The actions of all politicians reveals how difficult it can be to seek justice. They are always looking sideways. Also the crowd outside the execution site shows how easy it is to stir up mob emotion. Again, nicely laid out and captured on film. The film visually translated Grishelm's understanding of Southern culture and politics. I also thought Chris O'Donnell captured the intensity of someone who is confronting his family's past. The camera work, which holds on his face, assists in helping us to see the quiet determination with which he works. (The camera is a good replacement for the interior monologue of fiction!)I also liked the flash-backs which help him to comprehend just where his father came from and why suicide might have been a response. This film is timely today in lieu of the polarization of American politics. Scary stuff!

A few years ago, I read the novel "The Chamber" by John Grisham and I thought it was a spectacular reading experience. Then, in 1996, they released it in the theatres and I was hoping that the outcome would turn out on a positive note, just like the novel. Also I was hoping that very talented performers like Chris O'Donnell, Gene Hackman and Faye Dunaway would grace the screen like they've done before. However, the high expectations were sadly shattered. Nothing exciting happens as opposed to what's in the book, there's very little happening here, the acting is very wooden and the actors were woefully miscast. On a positive note, some stuff from the novel were brought into the movie. So for those who never read the novel or seen the movie, I won't give too much away. But those who expected an equally riveting novel to movie adaptation, you will be disappointed. One thing that upset me most here is the different characteristics between Adam Hall in the novel and Adam Hall (Chris O'Donnell) in the movie. In the novel, Hall is a typical attorney who's a bit green and does not know what to expect. In the movie, he's made like a big-shot who can get by in this case like a piece of cake. Okay, I understand we can't cram everything from the novel, because then it would take too long, and we're not all patient for a three hour movie; so I respect that. I think the movie had it's mind on cutting to the chase rather than unravelling the events that led to the scenes. In the end it's just better that you all should just read the book and forget about the film.